MIT: Master Interview Thread

toastmaster · 10-20-2008, 05:19 PM

Ahh! Interview is Wednesday; I'm nervous! I truly do not know what to wear. Half of whom I've talked to says just wear what you normally wear, while the other half recommends dressing up. Help?

ducktape · 10-20-2008, 07:56 PM

Depends. Where's your interview?

toastmaster · 10-20-2008, 08:08 PM

At my school, immediately after last period.

Oscular · 10-20-2008, 08:15 PM

if youre really that worried, go for something in between, but I just wore a t shirt and jeans and I felt that it didn't make any difference at all

StacyOgie · 10-20-2008, 08:17 PM

I wish you the best of luck! Mine is on Friday and I'm getting nervous by the day, but hopefully all will be well. Has anyone been asked in their interview the "why MIT" question?

edit:

I'll probably wear khakis and a solid, neutral colored shirt just to be safe.

prepre · 10-20-2008, 08:20 PM

Ok so I have my interview next weekend and it is at the EC's house.
1. what should I wear, just jeans and a regular shirt?

2. what so you think he will ask me?

3. should I do A LOT of research on MIT or just some?

THANKS

Balaylay · 10-20-2008, 08:27 PM

I had my interview like a month and a half ago. I wore just my nicest (ie cleanest least wrinkled best fitting) jeans, and my "nicest/most stylish" t-shirt. The interviewer basically dressed just as casual also. I was freaking out about the same thing myself and had decided to try to dress up as much as possible till the last minute when I realized I'd rather just be chill and wear normal (though still a bit nicer) clothes instead of try to dress in a jacket and tie and make it obvious that I'm just trying to impress and that it isn't my natural attire. I think it payed off since she was casual too.

TBOL3 · 10-20-2008, 08:31 PM

1. Casual, have FUN!

2. He will ask you personal questions, such as what do you do for fun, what intrigues you, any books you've enjoyed recently, what have you made. If you're prepared, the interview will be a blast (or at least it was for me).

3. Define "a LOT" and "some" please, it can mean drastically different things to different people.

molliebatmit · 10-20-2008, 08:35 PM

I'm an advocate of wearing whatever you would normally wear if you wanted to be one notch more dressed up and professional than you normally are -- what you would wear if you were giving a presentation at school, for example.

Ultimately, it's for you: your interviewer probably doesn't care what you wear, but what you wear can have an effect on you and on how you behave in the interview. If you aren't comfortable in a suit and tie, for example, but you wear one to your interview, you'll probably feel awkward, and that will affect the way you interact with your interviewer.

When I did grad school interviews, I wore a sweater and skirt with cute brown pumps. (Very "I'm a serious scientist, but I still like cute shoes.") It made me feel very professional and adult, and I was able to interview successfully because I felt comfortable, yet snappy. Someone else might have felt that way in jeans and a button-down shirt, or in a suit. Whatever works for you is fine.

molliebatmit · 10-20-2008, 08:46 PM

I've combined two threads from today asking questions about interviews, with the intention that this thread will become a source of information about interviews and a place for people to report their interview experiences.

So anybody who's had his or her interview already, please feel free to post an interview report. Anybody who's yet to have his or her interview, please feel free to continue asking questions.

toastmaster · 10-20-2008, 08:59 PM

Thanks, guys! I kind of want to just wear nice jeans ("nice" meaning not torn), a t-shirt, and a fleece.

I told my Physics teacher that I had the interview Wednesday, and not only did he relinquish his room to host it, but he also provided me with a mock interview =)
Good Karma.

Oscular · 10-21-2008, 07:52 PM

some staple questions that everyone should be prepared for:

Why MIT/How did you find out about MIT

Planned major and why

Questions about your academics (clubs, activities), passions(hobbies, etc), life (home, friends)

What makes you unique from everyone else

And one question that I'm not sure that you'll be asked but caught me stuck was

What did you do during your high school year that geared you towards your future major or whatever you wanna do after high school

Now that I look at it I wonder why I didn't see that one coming, but I was stuck because I didn't really have anything in my school that geared me towards MIT. MIT was just a choice I made a month ago, so it's not like I prepared my high school life for it

CoolCalculator · 10-21-2008, 08:41 PM

Like the question oscular mentioned stumped him/her, would anyone else who has had an interview like to share the questions that "caught them off gaurd"?

neuron39 · 10-21-2008, 09:24 PM

This didn't happen with my son's MIT interview, but it did with two Ivy League interviews last year: "tell me where else you've applied, and what are your ranked choices?" This caught my son off-guard and was a very unfair question; nevertheless you need to be prepared. His prepared answer included a generic statement about applying to Ivy League schools and a safety school (named) in addition to the school he was interviewing for; he said he wasn't yet sure what his first choice was.

toastmaster · 10-22-2008, 12:05 AM

I have mine tomorrow... any last tips?